How Has the Pandemic Affected Your Weight and How Will You Fix It?
There was a stunning statistic from February 2021 about the Covid pandemic and how it has affected people’s weight. It was estimated that upwards of 40% of US adults had gained unwanted weight – an average of 42 pounds! But why? Our weight is directly correlated to several life events and their emotional effects, like:
- Stress. During the pandemic many of us were decidedly more stressed out. Stress can release additional cortisol into the blood which, in turn, can make us eat more. The result is often weight gain.
- Diet. Many of us liberalized our diets and drinking habits during the pandemic. While the memes of increased drinking during the pandemic made people laugh across the Internet, it represents a very serious concern both to mental and physical health.
- Exercise. There was a definite loss of motivation to exercise during pandemic time. Not only did many of us not even want to (or could) leave our homes, but there were fewer reasons to “look good” – no weddings or get-togethers, no in-person work, and Zoom calls from the shoulders up.
How Do I Know If I Qualify for Bariatric Surgery?
In the surgical world, there are few procedures that require as much preparation as bariatric surgery. For example, hernia, gallbladder and even GERD patients may only need a consultation and a test or two before having the procedure. On the other hand, bariatric surgery patients will undergo a full suite of cardiopulmonary and psychological testing; some will require a medical weight loss program and potentially more.
The process from deciding to have bariatric surgery to the surgery date itself may require anywhere from 3-to-6 months depending on the patient’s general health and how they plan to pay. To start, many patients wonder if they are even candidates for bariatric surgery. There are certainly standardized criteria that both the surgical practice and the FDA have outlined as necessary to have bariatric surgery, such as a BMI of 35 or more with one or more obesity related comorbidities or a BMI of 40 or more regardless of comorbidities.
How to Prepare for Your First Consultation
Your first consultation represents a very important start to the weight loss surgery process. You will have been introduced to one or more practices by attending a weight loss seminar. And while attending a bariatric seminar offers a degree of insight into the options, benefits, and risks of each bariatric procedure, it is not it does not mean that you necessarily qualify for bariatric surgery. In fact, several tests to evaluate your suitability for surgery will be performed in the lead up to the procedure itself. The first step in that process, is to sit down with a bariatric surgeon for a consultation.
Is Bariatric Surgery a Drastic Measure?
Many prospective bariatric surgery patients believe that surgical intervention for obesity is a drastic measure. They’re concerns are understandable because surgery is, after all, invasive. Consequently, there are risks associated with any surgery including a weight loss procedure. It is important to remember, however, that while surgery is a last resort, it is also currently the most effective long-term method to combat obesity.
It’s also important to remember that other weight loss options may not be as safe or as effective as bariatric surgery. For example, some may take dieting and/or exercise to the extreme causing significant stress on the body that can ultimately compromise their general health – physical and psychological. Further, diet and exercise regimens are not usually successful over the long-term and patients often regain some or all their weight, sometimes adding even more. Diet supplements have also flooded the market. These pills can be ineffective or even dangerous and there is very little oversight on the part of the federal government. Some diet pills contain extremely high levels of caffeine or other chemicals that can cause or worsen medical conditions.
Eating at a Restaurant After Weight Loss Surgery
Even before the pandemic, one of the questions we were most often asked is “How will my life change after my surgery and what does that mean for dining out?” The short answer is that the changes you need to make when eating at a restaurant are very similar to the changes you’ll have to make when eating at home. In the end, the diet after weight loss surgery should be one of moderation and balance.
It can be very difficult to control your appetite when at a restaurant. This is especially true when nights out have been as rare as four-leaf clovers during the pandemic. There are many temptations working against you. First and foremost, in a social atmosphere it is very hard to say “no” when everybody else is enjoying their meal. Secondly, restaurant portions tend to be quite large, often providing much more volume than you need. Thirdly, eating out often means not knowing how your food is prepared, including added fats, sugars and overall calories that are commonly hidden in the typical restaurant meal.
Standing While Working… A Yoga Ball for an Office Chair… What Really Works?
There is no lack of advice on all the ways that you can lose weight by modifying the way you work. Unfortunately, many of these tips and tricks, such as sitting on an exercise ball instead of an office chair or standing while working do not address the most dangerous part of our daily work and home habits – the sedentary lifestyle. While many of these tips can add to a healthy new lifestyle, some can harm us. So, before you subscribe to the latest fad in workplace weight loss, consider a few ideas:
Prepping Delicious and Healthy Bariatric-Friendly Food
Eating properly day-in and day-out is hard. Even harder is finding the time to cook a delicious, healthful, homemade meal while managing your busy schedule. To help you get through the week and still enjoy what you eat, you may want to consider prepping food for the entire week the weekend before. Of course, this is easier said than done; but once you realize how much time you save during the week, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do this sooner. Before we get started, it’s important to remember that the key to making this work is solid planning and preparing a variety of foods. Eating the same old thing every day, even if it is something you like, gets old very fast. Prepping a few staples that can either be eaten as a meal, a side dish, or a snack will not only save you time, but may become your new normal once you see how easy and efficient it can be.
Preparing for Weight Loss Surgery
Deciding to have weight loss surgery is a major step and one that shouldn’t be taken lightly. If you have struggled with obesity for most of your life, you have experienced the frustration of many diet and exercise failures. Now that you have decided to proceed with surgery, you are hopeful that this time is going to be different.
Bear in mind that the preparation process is different for every surgeon and every bariatric practice. While what you will read below is a good general guide, always refer back to your bariatric surgeon’s specific instructions.
Your Liquid Diet Expectations
You are thinking about weight loss surgery. You’re tired of dieting, losing weight and then hitting a plateau. You’re frustrated that you’ve been going to the gym and working so hard with minimal results. Your weight is going up and down then up even higher. The only predictable part of the whole process is frustration.
At this point, you may have decided that bariatric surgery is an option for you. You found a doctor and had your consultation and you’re informed that you’ll have to embark on a liquid diet before surgery. What? Yes, a liquid diet.
Summer Exercise Tips for Bariatric Patients
Summer is here, and that means thoughts of lazy beach days, dips in the pool, and a little less clothing. It also can mean that we are tempted to push our post- bariatric surgery exercise routine into high gear. But we must give you the boring, but important, tips to stay healthy, safe, and injury-free during your new workouts. Following are a few tips to make the most of your exercise routine, but also avoid the pitfalls that can set you back:
